Adam Hughes' artwork doesn't excel as much as some other Before Watchmen artists when it comes to inventive page layouts. However, he does provide plenty of striking imagery and emotive characters to make up for that. And as is so often the case, Laura Martin's colors are the star of the show. Whether it's the ethereal blue glow of a winter forest of the faded yellow Jon's childhood home, the colors are rich and perfectly suited to the tone of each scene. Read Full Review

This issue features a lot of flashbacks that gives readers a closer look at Dr. Manhattan's life before he became Dr. Manhattan. We see him as a child and become acquainted with his father. Straczynski also goes on to explore that particular relationship. I think the only problem with this is the fact that it doesn't quite tell us who the character is. What was his personality like? Was he a moral person? How did he meet his first wife? There's just a ton that we don't know about Dr. Manhattan even after having read the three issues of his BEFORE WATCHMEN mini-series. So, at the end of the day, who is he exactly? What was the purpose of this series? Still, beyond all that, the issue itself is very well written, well organized and Straczynski certainly plays to Hughes' strengths. Hughes knocks the art in this issue out of the park completely, delivering a just absolutely stunning piece of work. Read Full Review